This invention relates to a connector pair comprising a connector and a mating connector connectable with each other by using a magnetic force.
For example, this type of connector and mating connector is disclosed in JP-B 4004953 (Patent Document 1), the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Referring to FIGS. 27 and 28, Patent Document 1 discloses the connector (current tap housing) 900 connectable with the mating connector (current supply housing) 950. Referring to FIG. 27, the current tap housing 900 comprises flat contacts 902, magnets 904 and a pin-like projection 906. Referring to FIGS. 28 and 29, the current supply housing 950 comprises flat contacts 952, current supply terminals 954, a permanent magnet 956, a magnetic carriage 960 movable in an upper-lower direction in FIG. 29 and a rotating device 970. The magnetic carriage 960 is provided with magnets 962 having magnetic poles different from those of the magnets 904 (see FIG. 27) and current contact points 964 connected to the current supply terminals 954, respectively. The rotating device 970 is provided with a cutout 974 extending from an entry/exit region 972.
Referring to FIG. 29, a magnetic force (Fd) causes the magnets 962 to be constantly attracted toward the permanent magnet 956. As a result, the magnetic carriage 960 is located at a lower part of the current supply housing 950 unless another magnetic force larger than the magnetic force (Fd) causes the magnets 962 to be attracted upward. Referring to FIGS. 27 to 29, when the pin-like projection 906 of the current tap housing 900 is inserted into the entry/exit region 972 of the current supply housing 950, the flat contacts 902 are connected to the flat contacts 952, respectively. At that time, the magnets 904 overlap the magnets 962 to some extent and therefore receive a turning force from the magnets 962, wherein the turning force causes the current tap housing 900 to be turned. When the pin-like projection 906 of the thus-turned current tap housing 900 is moved through the cutout 974 and arrives at a current contact region 974C, the magnets 904 further overlap the magnets 962 so that a magnetic force larger than the magnetic force (Fd) causes the magnets 962 to be attracted toward the magnets 904, and the magnetic carriage 960 is moved upward. The flat contacts 902 are therefore connected with the current supply terminals 954, respectively, via the flat contacts 952 and the current contact points 964.
In Patent Document 1, the current tap housing 900 includes the four magnets 904, and the magnetic carriage 960 includes the four magnets 962 corresponding to the magnets 904, respectively. These magnets 904 and magnets 962 are arranged in a skilled manner so as to apply the turning force to the current tap housing 900 as well as to move the magnetic carriage 960 upward at an appropriate timing. In other words, a structure including a precise arrangement of many magnets enables the current tap housing 900 to be connected with the current supply housing 950.